


Fly Over This Broken Sky

by LotusBlossoms



Category: Incredibles (Pixar Movies)
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/F, F/M, Romance, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-13
Updated: 2019-03-01
Packaged: 2019-10-09 13:17:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17407634
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LotusBlossoms/pseuds/LotusBlossoms
Summary: Gail was a woman with no past who lived in a world of heroes. With no memories, no home and only the birds to talk with she tries to find meaning in her new life while discovering her old one. Will she find help in a family that is all too familiar with who she really is?





	1. Knee Deep In These Streets

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Yamino AU](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/448838) by Yamino. 



> Hey there! Thank you all for deciding to check out my story today it's the first one I've done for the Incredibles Universe. It takes place in an AU where Stratogale (yes the one from the capes joke) was a much bigger part of Helen's life. This AU was originally made by an artist named Yamino who inspired me to explore these characters. I recommend you check her out on Tumblr but you don't need to know her AU to enjoy this story. 
> 
> If you like this story share it with your friends or comment below and I may write more of this!

“Spare change?” 

Gail held up her head as another family walked on her side of the street. There was a mother, father, four kids, and a baby. They all past her by without a second glance and she gently moved closer to the brick wall behind her. 

Some people told her that being homeless was a choice. They told her to get a job, save up some money, begin her life. That wasn’t the truth for Gail.

“Spare change?”

Gail looked up and saw two men with construction hats walking by with dirty overalls. One of them looked at her and she could faintly detect pity in his eyes but it soon vanished as they both walked away. Coughing a bit she adjusted her gray jacket and shivered slightly.

Gail had amnesia, as far as she could tell. She wasn’t sure how far back it went but...it went so far that Gail knew it was bad enough. No memories of her childhood, family, the whole thing was blank. Anything she did remember was no help in the slightest. 

“Spare Change?”

Looking up she saw a couple of school girls speed walk past her. Gail could hear their gentle whispers on the wind of disgust. Blushing, she grabbed a torn up green blanket that she had packed with her and laid it out across her stumps. The bright blue backpack Gail had with her was something she picked up from a local dumpster, but she liked it. It carried most of her possessions and nobody seemed to want to steal such a dirty item.

It wasn’t bad enough that she was an amnesiac though. Gail had to have both of her legs completely ripped off. She wondered what could have happened to cause something like that. Did the birds know what happened? Gail was afraid to ask them, other people looked at her funny when she did. Gail knew that wasn’t a thing normal people could do.

“Thank you.” 

Finally, a dollar was slipped into a rusty can she had placed beside herself. Taking a look at it Gail noticed it was a ten dollar bill. Looking around to see who gave it Gail’s eyes were lost in the crowd. She wanted to see the person who had given her that kindness.

The worst part about being homeless was the solitary nature of it. People didn’t want to see her on the street so they imagined Gail simply wasn’t there in the first place. It made things so much harder when it came to actually talk with people. She had to learn new words sometimes, like yolo, and Gucci, from other bums like her. That was embarrassing, this was all just very embarrassing. 

Gail thought about flying away from it all sometimes. Using her powers to fly off to some beach where nobody would bother little old Gail anymore. The birds told her it was a good idea, they did it all the time. She cracked a smile like they were old friends telling jokes. Then it just made her sad because  _ she was old _ and  _ didn’t have any friends. _

“Hey lady, you're breaking the sidewalk.” Looking up Gail noticed a little boy, not even five years old looking at her with amazement. “Can you show me how to do that?”

Gail looked at her hands and noticed they had crumpled up bits of the sidewalk when she bawled her fists. Releasing both of them she hid the rubble under her blanket and shook her head. She didn’t want the police to arrest her again.

The kid soon past her by like everyone else in the city. When she needed to go to the bathroom she used the public stalls. When she wanted food, Gail could always scrounge something up. Surviving out here wasn’t as hard as it was before but it still was a challenge. Some days people spit in her hair, threw trash, and insulted Gail in horrible ways. Yet at the end of the day, she returned to the place that brought her into tranquility and peace.

After the streets were empty, late at night, she took off her blanket, attached her prosthetics back on and flew away into the darkness. She had gotten pretty good at not being seen so flying over to the park had become like walking home from school. Huh, had she gone to school? That tingling sensation at the back of her head started happening again, so Gail stopped her line of thoughts, as it quickly became a headache.

Touching down underneath the trees and near her normal park bench, Gail fixed her hair from the windy entry. The Fall season had just started and she was slightly worried about the winter cold coming up. Walking over to her bench with the prosthetic legs Gail laid down on the cold metal and shivered. Pulling the heavy blanket out from her backpack she wrapped it around herself to try and stifle the windy torrents coming around her.

The birds were starting to go away. Sometimes they were around to sing to her at night but now she wasn’t going to hear anything. Winter was coming and they were all flying away from Gail. Taking a deep breath, she tried to block out those lonely thoughts and tried to just drift into sleep. It took a few moments but eventually, her tiredness overwhelmed everything else, as per usual, and unconsciousness took hold. 

_ “We wish you a merry kissmas, we wish you a very kissmas, we wish you a very kissmas and happy new year!” _

_ “Shush, I’m trying to study #*##*.” _

_ “Good tidings I bring-” _

_ “Seriously, cut it out already!” _

_ “What you don’t like me singing to you? You know I’m better than the birds.” _

Then Gail would wake up, and the need for music would be pouring out of her heart. She had that dream a few times now. No pictures or even a vague idea of what that funny name was. All Gail could think about afterward was music, and how sad she was that nobody around was singing anymore. Sitting up shakily Gail brushed the dirt out of her hair and wiped her eyes. They were wet with something, maybe it had rained a little while she was asleep?

Looking above the park bench where she slept Gail spotted that the large tree above her was still covered in those sparkling red leaves. Smiling she let herself fall back down to look up at them. Gail did that for three hours as the sun came up. The red colors became a bright orange which made her smile even more. Huddling up in her gray jacket she wondered how long it would take for the colors to change again.

**THUMP**

“AH!” Gail sputtered a bit as her stupor was broken as newspaper crashed into her head. Looking around she spotted a paperboy biking his way through the park. His name was Zeus, they met when his bike broke down in the park one day and she helped catch all the papers that had flown off. It was easy when you had the ability to fly at high speeds, although a bit tricky when you had to keep that ability under wraps. Thankfully it had been so early, nobody saw her flying except for him. Every now and then he would come by and  _ accidentally _ toss a paper in her direction. 

“Morning Gail!” Zeus called out his brown complexion shining in the morning light. “Early bird gets the worm!” He laughed, letting his dreadlocks bounce in the wind.

“Early bird…” Gail grumbled before picking up the paper and laying her eyes on it. While she wasn’t thrilled about having a paper chucked at her face this early she didn’t mind having someone treat her like a real person for a change. 

**_The Beyonders Strike Out As Supers Come Back!_ **

**_On Monday the Metrocity Bank was under siege from the local mob gang that has been running off the police with their enhanced weaponry for weeks. This “Neo Scum” as they call themselves have been a menace as local enforcers have been unable to confront them on even terms. Due to the recent hero act that has been passed that changed as the bank was saved by the superhero team The Beyonders. Lead by Voyd the team stopped the robbery with zero casualties, however, the property damage is still being assessed. Locally the citizens have praised them for their actions…_ **

Gail smiled and folded the paper into her backpack. Heroes, that was a phrase she wasn’t used to hearing. Her powers were sometimes described as  _ dangerous  _ or  _ unfair, _ never heroic. 

“Lucky them,” Gail muttered trying not to let jealousy sink in. They got all the fame for being superheroes while she was left to fend for herself on the streets. She didn’t have a fancy costume or a group of friends to look after her. What if she bumped her head on a building and suddenly had another amnesia attack? No, she wouldn’t risk that happening.

Flipping through the rest of the paper, Gail’s mood didn’t improve. She saw that Thanksgiving was coming up soon and that families should start ordering their turkeys before they all run out. Closing her eyes she tried to repress a grumble in her stomach. Patting it gently she decided to hobble over to a nearby soup kitchen, maybe there she could put her mind at ease.

Not in the mood for flying Gail decided to walk over on her prosthetic legs. When she first started getting used to these legs, Gail was a mess. When she entered the city, Gail constantly took breaks, slumped down on sidewalks, and then gave up, choosing to fly over being crippled. The only good part was the prosthetic legs, they fit Gail perfectly. In her hazy memory she remembered being cared for in a facility of some kind before coming to Metroville, they must have given her these. Although, even that comfort was being taken away as she found they probably needed to be adjusted soon as her body was constantly growing.

After a brisk walk over to the soup kitchen, Gail adjusted her hoodie and stepped inside. Tables were lined to the brim with homeless people and the line for breakfast wasn’t getting any shorter. Stepping in line she rubbed the morning sleep from her vision before hearing a yelp and crash from the front.

“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry!”

“Violet, pick those cans up.”

“Haha, Violet’s in trouble!”

“Shut up Dash!”

“Both of you be quiet, your causing a scene.”

Gail leaned over to get a better look at the commotion she tried to suppress a chuckle. Three new people were manning the can drive in the kitchen. It was a yearly event that school kids did so that they could give back to the community. Usually, they would stick around for an hour and leave before another family came in. The youngest, a blonde boy nearly 10 years old, held two cans in his hands, looking with a bemused smile at his...sister? The older girl, Violet she assumed, was furiously picking up a trio of cans that had fallen off a red wagon that carried dozens of the same variety. The father, looked embarrassed and out of place, picking up cans, trying to avoid the stares of homeless people around them.

Gail looked away, deciding that the faster she was out of here the better. Family antics wasn’t exactly what she needed right now. Putting her hands together Gail began patiently waiting for the line to move forward, while the family sorted out their wagon of cans. Sniffing the air she tasted the brisk scent of soup and bread. Feeling her stomach growl she blushed and bit her lower lip. Staring at trees all morning probably wasn’t the best idea.

Suddenly something thumped against her prosthetic leg. Looking down at what had almost caught her off balance she wasn’t surprised to find a loose can that had fallen off the wagon. Preparing for an encounter with a fumbling family member she leaned over and picked up the can of tomatoes. Looking over she saw the family heading through the backdoor of the soup kitchen, not seeing the fallen can. Gail considered calling to them but her spot in line was quickly moving forward, so she pocketed the tomatoes in her jacket before getting breakfast.

Soup, bread, and some fresh milk. Gail wasn’t entirely sure what was in the soup, probably some sort of meaty broth but it tasted good enough. Once she hit the streets of Metroville, Gail suddenly found herself swallowing bowls of soup by the gallon without complaint as it kept her fed. Sitting down Gail felt the heavy weight of that can in her pocket. 

Looking back to the doors where that family had gone through Gail tapped her finger on the outer layer of the can. Social anxieties aside, she didn’t just want to leave it someplace where it could get stolen. It was her responsibility to return this can right? 

“It’ll just take a second.” Gail murmured to herself, figuring she could just pass the can to the family and call that her good deed for the day. Taking the bread with her she bit into it before heading towards those large metal doors that led into the back. Pushing them forwards she peered inside and tried to find them. The back of this place was covered in cans from shelf to shelf almost like someone had filled up a full library with the stuff.

“Hello?” Gail called out walking inside, letting the door close behind her. “You guys dropped a can of tomatoes?” She said raising her voice, something Gail hadn’t done in weeks. Where had those three gone to? 

Walking further inside, Gail looked around at all of the shelves, marveling at the food. Being homeless, she hadn’t really had the opportunity to get extravagant meals, more or less dining at places that had free samples for her own sake. It was honestly kinda tempting to take some of this stuff. It looked good from her perspective and people were gonna give it to people like her anyway, right?

“Um, excuse me?” A small voice said from behind Gail. Turning around she saw the older girl who was helping out that blonde boy. What was her name again, Viper? 

“Oh, hi, you dropped this,” Gail said handing over the can. 

“Oh, thank you, ma’am, sorry about the cans.” The girl said taking it with an open palm and placed it on a nearby shelf. “My brother tripped me and everything was sent flying.”

“Yesh, tough luck on the sibling situation,” Gail said with a wince. “Does he always act like that?” She said looking around for the other two family members. They were probably further in the back trying to get this whole mess under control.

“Not really it’s just that mom dragged him away from his friends today for this. Same for me but you don’t see my leg tripping your feeee…” Violet held her voice at the last sound as she looked on at the prosthetics Gail had on. Instantly her face went bright red and she began moving her mouth but no sound came out as she tried to salvage this sentence.

“It’s fine,” Gail said suddenly pursing her lips. “I’m gonna just go now, happy Thanksgiving.” Then she turned towards the door, just as it was opening up. When the figure opening it stepped through Gail felt two things:

  1. The tingling sensation on her mind soon developed into a throbbing headache.
  2. One fierce blush entered her cheeks.



“Bob? I have more cans in the back of the car can I grab…” The woman entering stopped short, seeing her Violet and Gail together. She wore a plaid shirt that seemed to contain endless curves on her body along with some faded jeans. That red hair seemed to bring her entire body into another dimension of hotness. Gail eyed this beautiful woman with a small bit of intensity as this stranger did the same.

“Sorry, just needed to return the can,” Gail said pointing to the one on the shelf.

The woman stiffened, no, her entire body locked into place. Her hand that was gripping the door was white knuckled. Gulping, Gail rubbed her shoulder and tried not to feel so small. The stranger was probably just a concerned mom. 

“I-I can leave now, my foods getting cold,” Gail said pointing out the door.

No movement from the woman and that intense stare seemed to only be getting stronger as she traced over Gail’s body. Stopping at the legs just for a brief moment only to continue the search.

“Mom, are you okay there?” Violet asked quietly, looking between Gail and her mother unsure of what to say. “You wanted the wagon right? I can go get it if you want?”

“Go to your father Violet.” Her voice had taken on a new tone that Gail wished she had never heard. This woman was absolutely furious. The grinding of teeth could faintly be heard underneath her breaths. “Now.”

Without another word Violet turned and ran off disappearing into the darkness of those shelves moment. 

“I’m really sorry ma’am but I-” Gail started off but was soon silenced by the woman as she took a big step forwards and  _ slammed _ the door back into place. Gail felt a spark of fear rise in her chest.

“Sorry?” The woman’s voice now visibly shook with anger as her cheeks turned red. “Your alive and you didn’t tell  _ me _ ?!” Helen grabbed Gail by the scruff of her shirt and pinned her against a nearby shelf of cans. 

“W-wh-what?” Gail squeaked out in a horrified voice. Even though Gail had superpowers this mild-mannered mom was freaking her out. Was she having an episode or something? 

“How long have you been hiding? How long have you been here? How did you survive the crash? Why did you never call me? Why did you never write to me?” The woman questioned each new word causing another shake of her arms which caused the shelf behind Gail to shake rapidly. “Say something, Gail!” She yelled finally just giving her a hard shove into the shelf.

Tears formed out of her eyes as her headache grew more and more unbearable. Each new throb of thoughts seemed to be building up to something but Gail never reached an answer. It was that maddening itch that she could never seem to scratch. She needed a moment to collect herself and toss those thoughts away but this woman was relentless. The shaking, yelling and anxiety of the whole situation caused her to reflexively close her eyes as she felt a shudder collapse through her body. Then the tears started coming down and Gail was in full meltdown mode.

“I-I don’t know…” Gail choked out and shuddered out. “I-I don’t know anything, please stop shaking me, lady!” She hadn’t experienced a primal fear like this since her first night in the park. Her faults were collapsing on top of each other like bricks, and the feeling of anxiety in her gut was just too much. Why did she know her name? Why did her head hurt so much? Why didn’t her life make sense? Why did the shaking stop?

“Lady?” The woman said with an empty voice.

Gail opened her eyes to see the woman look at her with a horrified expression on her face. Suddenly the lady loosened her girl and stepped away, still horrified. 

“You don’t know who I am?” She asked her voice much more quiet than before. “Baby bird?” The woman said the words like they meant something important but no value came to Gail’s mind. “Stratogale? Kansas? Do you remember anything, Gail?” Her face now looked completely desperate.“Anything?”

“D-do you know who I am?” Gail said hugging herself to stop shaking. She was not prepared for conflicts like this. She was not prepared to ask the question it simply flew out of her mouth. A headache inside her head was threatening to make Gail collapse. All she could do now was look at the woman with tears running down her face. “Who are you?”

Within seconds Gail saw the woman extend both her arms into  _ much longer arms.  _ Then just as quickly she pulled Gail into a hug closing the gap. 

“My name is Helen, please don’t forget it this time,” Helen said sobbing into the hug. 


	2. Cruising For A Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gail meets the Parr family and reconnects with an old friend.

Gail looked at the family as they sat next to each other in the soup kitchen. The children starred up at Gail like she was a fossil in some museum while the adults were harder to figure out. Bob seemed to be in deep concentration giving Gail the same once over again and again, much like his wife. Helen had done the same but now the pace of those eyes had slowed down. Now she just seemed to be looking around Gail’s face. Every time Gail took a sip of her now cold soup Helen would raise her brow anticipating something amazing to happen. When nothing did she simply went back looking at her with those nice eyes.

“So, who are you exactly?” Dash said drumming his fingers against the table. 

“I’m Gail, nice to meet you.” Gail offered with a hesitant voice before biting into a piece of bread. Chewing on it slowly she looked at the adults almost as if for confirmation. It was a scary thought, the only name she had used since starting her homeless life was Gail. If they said her name was something like Jacky, Gail was sure to start having a meltdown again. "Who are all of you?"

"Dash."

"Bob."

"Violet"

"Helen."

Great at least she knew they weren't total strangers now. 

“Why did mom beat you up?” Dash asked putting his head into his hands. He said it so casually Gail almost mistook it for a joke. Did his mom beat people up all the time?

“Dash, I did not beat her up!” Helen said with a fierce look of embarrassment on her face. “I just lost my cool.” 

That was an understatement of the century. After breaking down in Gail’s arms her family soon arrived on the scene after Violet had gone to them. Seeing his wife in such a state Bob attended to Helen’s needs first, prying her off Gail. After taking her away to calm down they both wanted to speak with their new favorite amnesiac alone. Apparently, both of them actually knew who she was! Gail, not used to talking with strange families in private, decided that they should sit down in the  _ public _ dining hall instead. Besides she still needed to finish her soup.

“Then you beat her up.” Dash summarized looking smug, but one look from his father quickly wiped it off his face. “I mean, at least she’s your friend so Gail can forgive you right?” He scratched the back of his head looking towards Gail again. “Right?”

“I’m not really sure, to be honest.” Gail rubbed her forehead which was still throbbing gently as she looked at the adults. “I have amnesia so I don’t remember them.”

“How far back can you remember?” Helen said looking at the scar on Gail’s face. “I mean we haven’t seen you in years, where did you go after everything happened?”

“What happened to me exactly?” Gail asked looking at Helen with hopeful eyes. This was the first real moment of clarity she had gotten in months. It almost felt like that itch inside her head was finally about to be scratched.

“We can’t talk about it here,” Bob said taking Helen’s hand gently before leaning forward to block his wife’s view of Gail. “Really, we should get in the car and talk somewhere else, privately.” His voice took a much more quiet tone, more serious as well. “Before someone hears?” 

Gail instantly felt the itch be teased away from her again and suddenly felt the spoon she was carrying snap. One piece flew off to the other end of the table, but her point was made clear. Gail was in a very grumpy mood right now.

“I think we can go get the car started dad,” Violet said quietly tapping him on the shoulder. “Come on you can listen to your oldies radio station.” Gail could see her looking at the broken spoon, curiously. 

“What a great idea Violet,” Helen said pushing Bob up by the shoulder. “Me and Gail can catch up while you three go sit in the car.”

Bob looked extremely hesitant but eventually let the thought stew and relented. Getting up he gestured for the kids to follow him out the front door. While they were leaving Gail would notice a look of silent communication between the two. Their eyes and noses scrunched up at the same time as they were trying to say the same thing simultaneously. Gail wished she was a mind reader right now. 

“I’m sorry about Bob he can be a little headstrong about things,” Helen said after her family had left through the front door. “He cares about you though, I’m not trying to make him a bad guy or anything. I mean your...resurrection is still shocking. We went to your funeral for God's sake.” Her face instantly went to a sadder tone and her finger traced the edges of their table. “Both of us were really hurt when you died.”

Gail looked down a pang of guilt weighing in on her conscience. Gail had always wondered if anyone was out looking for someone like herself. Weeks passed by and she had resigned herself to a lonely life where she simply didn’t have anyone like that. It was hard to think otherwise.

“I’m sorry, I-I didn’t mean to make you sad.” Gail said looking down at her soup.

“Gail you are not at fault here, I don’t know who is.” Helen said firmly, reaching over to tilt her chin up. Just as soon as she reached over Gail leaned back nearly getting out of her seat. Stopping, Helen pulled herself back into place and rubbed her arm. “I’m sorry for shoving you. I didn’t mean to scare you like that.”

“Just don’t touch me again,” Gail mumbled, adjusting back into her seat. “Okay?”

Helen looked crushed at the comment but nodded slowly. Staying quiet for a moment she once again took a good look over Gail. Her mouth opened to speak but just as quickly it closed. Then after minutes of silence, Helen finally spoke up.

“Where do you sleep, Gail?” Helen’s voice was soft as she was clearly going in on a touchy subject. 

“Metroville Park, usually on one of the benches.” Gail shrugged trying to not let Helen see the blush that was clearly on her cheeks. “I have a good blanket so it’s alright.” She said trying to make it seem like that last bit really did make her situation better. 

“Bob and I could take you in Gail, our house is huge. You could sleep in one of the guest beds or on the couch if you want.” Helen bargained, clearly, she was eager to get to this part of the conversation. The look in her eyes was different from before. Gail could see inside of those brown irises bits of care and warmness leaking out. 

“I dunno, I just met you guys and honestly you're really freaking me out.” Gail wiped a stray hair out of her face. “I think I’ve hit my quota for emotional disaster moments for today.” 

Helen snorted and held a hand to her mouth as a genuine smile graced her face. Looking back at Gail she let her hand drift back down to the middle of the table. 

“You know when I knew you back in high school, that might have been the best way to describe you, Gail.” Helen chuckled again and wiped her eye. “I’m really sorry about how I reacted. We were dating before you died so I guess my reaction was much more than it should have been.”

Suddenly Gail felt the entire room turn upside down. The gravity must have turned off because her stomach was doing triple backflips. Scratching her ear she coughed and sputtered out a few nonsense words, watching Helen sit there looking nostalgic. 

“We dated? Like you and me...kissing?” Gail asked pressing her thumbs together. There hadn’t been much time to think of that sort of stuff. She would see people in the streets kissing each other and felt a longing to do that with someone else. Gail just never expected anyone would do it with her. “Did we do that a lot?”

“Yes,” Helen said with a little smirk placed on her face. “We did a lot together.” 

Gail let that sink in and took a deep breath. The headache in her head was slowly getting better but that might have been because Bob left. When she looked at him there was a constant dull throb in her head. It was like something deep inside Gail was get her attention by knocking on her skull. There were so many burning questions she wanted to ask. Gail had been agonizing over every facet of her past life for so long. Now she could actually find some answers.

“Where did I get my powers?” Gail asked looking at her expectantly.

“You never told me where but I know you’ve had them since before high school,” Helen said with a little frown on her face. “Your parents shipped you off to live with your aunt and uncle when it happened. They loved you a lot but didn’t really know how to handle the change.”

Gail shifted in her seat clearly not buying her answer. Still, she did bring up a topic that Gail wanted to discuss.

“D-do I still have parents?” Suddenly Gail’s voice wavered as she began to feel light headed. “I-I mean of course I have them, but I-I mean where are they?”

“We...I haven’t spoken to them in a while.” Helen confessed looking guilty and cupped her hands together. “After you died it was hard enough but your family just...it was too much.” She softly wiped her eyes not wanting to continue that line of thought. “I can try a few old numbers and see if they learned how to use Facebook if you want?”

Gail felt her heart flutter with happiness.

“Thank you,” Gail said a smile covering her face. She had to hold onto the table because her butt was trying to levitate out of her seat. The joy she felt of knowing her parents were still alive was unlike anything she could describe. It was like someone had just turned on a sun inside her chest. She started to giggle like a child opening her Christmas presents. “W-what do I know?”

“Your gonna have to be, more specific sweetie,” Helen said with a soft voice.

“D-do I…” Gail stopped feeling a coldness creep into her throat. Swallowing her voice she rubbed her prosthetic legs and didn’t attempt to continue. The realization of her parents suddenly didn't seem so important. 

“There are no stupid questions Gail. If you want to know something just ask.” Helen said with a look of care and compassion that made Gail’s heart thump harder than before.

“Do I have a degree, Helen? Like from school or something?” Gail asked her voice getting smaller as she asked the most anxiety-filled question yet. "College? High School? Tell me I at least have a high school degree."

“This is really that bad?” Helen asked her voice now completely filled with concern. “Do you know how to read and write?”

“Well yeah, not at first, but it kinda funneled back eventually,” Gail said with an embarrassed expression. “Some stuff is still kinda hard, like math. I can do addition and subtraction, some multiplication-”

“You need to come with me and Bob.” Helen interrupted with a start, her face morphing into something much more possessive than before. “I’m not going to let you continue living like this.” She said gesturing to all of Gail. “You would have done the same for me. I will drag you out into my car if I have to."

Looking around the room Gail could see the other homeless people were starting to notice their commotion. Not wanting to cause a scene Gail stood up out of her seat and gestured over to the front entrance. Getting the signal Helen stood up and started walking to the doorway with Gail. 

 

_ “Hey, you wanna hear a joke?” _

_ “Not really dad.” _

_ “Well, knock knock.” _

_ “Who's there?” _

_ “Good joke.” _

_ “Good joke who?” _

_ “Who's got a good joke for my little Gail?” _

_ “Dad stop.” _

_ “I’ll say it again until you smile.” _

_ “Dad!” _

 

“Gail?”

Snapping herself back into reality Gail looked up and saw that the car had stopped at a red light. Everyone was looking at her as if waiting for something. The two kids sitting next to her seemed especially expectant so she fixed her hair and coughed.

“What was the question again?” She asked fidgeting in her seat. 

“We wanted to know if you still have your powers,” Bob said while adjusting his rear view mirror. It had some duct tape attached to it keeping it in place.

“Oh yeah, I can fly and have super strength. Sometimes it kinda sneaks up on me though.” Gail confessed looking a little awkwardly out the window she was next too. When the car started moving again she felt some of the weight in her gut pass subside. “I can also talk to birds.” She had been caught in another memory of her dreams. Sometimes during her days begging on the streets, they would overtake her entirely. Voices that seemed so familiar would come to taunt her with answers that were out of reach. Sometimes Gail thought they were the birds.

“Dad broke the car mirror last week so he gets it,” Dash said with a rather quick-witted tone. “Isn’t that right dad?” 

“Yes Dash, controlling your powers takes time,” Bob said with a tired but controlled tone. It was obvious that the little comment irked him but he let it slide. Gail thought it was probably because she was in the car. Ever since she stepped in he had been rather nice to Gail which was certainly a nice change of pace. 

“Can we race sometime Gail?” Dash said excitedly looking up at her. “I’ve got super speed so I can totally go the distance with you. It’ll be like the first time I’ve actually used my powers to race with someone else.”

“Didn’t you race Lucius like two weeks ago?” Violet said with a roll of her eyes.

“Ugh..” Gail grabbed her head, it throbbed like a bomb had exploded inside it. During the car ride, it had carried a sharp and steady throb. It was painful but nothing too bad. Yet that name brought on another heavy wave of anguish to her skull. It felt like her memories were trying to literally claw their way out of her skull, scraping at the nerves. Leaning against the window she tried to make it look like another wave of tiredness had hit her.

“Yeah but that wasn’t for real Violet! Mom said that she could fly at like, Mach 28 or something. I can finally get some good sprint sessions in with someone else.” Dash exclaimed quickly turning his gaze back to Gail. “Please?”

“Yeah, sure, just quiet down okay?” Gail said forcing a smile on her face for the kid. She liked his attitude a little more now. He was competitive, energetic, and polite when needed. It was kinda sad he was a super otherwise Gail could have seen him run professionally. 

“Dash Parr, sit down, and get your seatbelt on,” Helen said looking at the newly adjusted mirror. “Let our guest relax alright?”

“It’s okay, really, we can race sometime. I haven’t really seen how fast I can go either.” Gail remembered her first flight. It came in a near death experience. When she had first come to Metroville a bus nearly ran her over but she jumped off into the skies at supersonic speeds. It took Gail a good minute of freaking out before she figured out how to fly back onto solid ground. All she had to do was think of her power like invisible wings. Gail just pretended to stop flapping them and she slowly floated back down to Earth.

The drive then became very quiet as Gail looked back out her window. The city seemed so different inside this fancy car. People walking by now seemed like normal citizens rather than her next set of dollar bills. Streets they came through began looking cleaner and cleaner. That feeling of absolute loneliness in her chest started to evaporate as the trees began to get greener. Roads no longer had cracks and the sidewalk looked brand new.

Feeling the headache throb once again Gail had to remind herself that this wasn’t a dream! She was actually going to sleep underneath a warm roof and eat actual food. Sniffing she gently pinched the bridge of her nose. Gail was not about to cry in front of these people, she couldn’t take the embarrassment. Taking a deep breath she leaned back against her seat as they went up another hill. Briefly, she caught the eyes of Helen look at her in the rearview mirror. 

In that soft moment, another memory played. This time there was a stark difference between this and her dreams. Blurs of background and scenery complimented it. Faintly she remembered walking with a backpack on her shoulders and working legs. Gail was looking around feverishly with a piece of paper in her hand.

_ “Hey what letter are you?” The voice had a slight southern twang to it. _

_ “What?” Who was this girl? _

_ “I’m a B.” The voice was kind and comforting. Something she very much appreciated in this new place. _

_ “Oh, I think I’m an L? I’m not really sure yet.” Yes, there was clear confusion. What did these letters even mean? _

“We’re home!” Bob called out in a sing-song voice. Gail felt herself snap out of the memory as his voice reached her ears and instantly the memory shattered into a million pieces. The image she had pieced together in her mind fell to the cosmic winds. 

Letting her eyes drift down Gail suddenly realized that Bob was right. In front of her was a large looking mansion. Blinking she glanced around to check if this was really the only place in view. The family in front of her didn’t look all that rich or carried the attitudes of high society members. She had seen plenty of upper-crust families walking the streets of Metroville while on her own before. Gail thought she could spot their type from a mile away.

Suddenly a horrible thought crossed into her head. What if this was all a trick? Some horrible joke that was being played on her for laughs? She hadn’t actually seen any of these people use their powers yet or seen any proof of their claims to know her. They were still practically strangers she knew nothing about! Inside her stomach, a knot was quickly forming that threatened to consume her thoughts with doubt. 

How could she have been so stupid?

Was this all a trap from some evil organization?

Could she fly away from here without being seen?

The prosthetic legs she had on were shaking as this family started getting out of the car. While she had been panicking they had already parked in the driveway. Sweat was dripping down her face as a spiral of emotional baggage weighed her body down like bricks. Lifting her hand to reach the car door suddenly seemed impossible. In fact, moving her body alone seemed impossible. Sweat gently dribbled down to her lips and it tasted like cold metal.

“Gail, are you coming?”

She tried to speak but found herself unable. Dark splotches covered her eyes as suddenly the world began to spin. Terror literally pounded against her head as more sweat dripped down her nose.

“Mom? Mom I-I think her nose is bleeding!”

Slowly everything that concerned Gail faded away as the headache that had been stalking her all day finally put her down.   
  



End file.
